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House to begin trade votes Thursday

The House will begin voting on trade legislation Thursday, setting up a high-stakes vote for Friday on a critical bill to give President Obama fast-track trade powers.

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The complicated process, laid out by GOP leadership late Wednesday, is designed to address objections from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) about how the trade package would be structured on the floor.

Pelosi walked away Wednesday night without a deal to change the process. Boehner’s now rolling the dice with his new plan — which he says Pelosi first pitched — gambling that 218 Republican and Democratic votes will be there when the trade bills hit the floor Friday.

A Democratic aide familiar with the situation called it "factually inaccurate to say that House Republicans have addressed all Democratic concerns." In a meeting on Tuesday, Pelosi informed Boehner that the TAA bill would not include aid for public sector employees.

"Labor unions are whipping members into a frenzy over the issue and this is very likely to be a major problem in getting significant House Democratic support for TAA," the Democratic aide said.